Projecting how Sweetney dominated the Big East in years past against teams much more loaded than GT (ie. Cuse, UConn) and how he has performed in limited minutes over the last year and a half. I predict that from this point into the future he will finally make a complete transition into the pro game and achieve placement into the upper echelon of low post players in the NBA. This speculation is based on the following two reasons:

1) If Larry Brown is our coach...and I do believe it will be official certainly before the week is out...Michael Sweetney will become a borderline Allstar...this year.

Supporting facts: This regime change on the bench will mark a change in Sweetney's career arch. LB will utilize Sweetney's low post game as a main cog in the Knicks offensive scheme. Marbs and Craw will run it Larry's way or it'll be the highway. We'll see none of the veteran bias going on here with LB. LB makes more than 99% of the players and management (Isiah included). That same ethic that kept Sweetney on the bench for Kurt (not knocking him) and every other vet is (will be) gone. Larry Brown will play a young player that works hard on the floor (i.e. Prince, etc.).

Which leads to the following:

2) If Sweetney reshapes his body by pulling a Udonis Haslem/Micheal Doleac bodytype metamorphosis out of the proverbial bread basket ....he will become a top flight low post player here in the east.

Supporting facts: He would have had to have made the decision back in April at the very latest to start on a 6 month program to fundamentally alter the muscle to fat ratio of his body. I believe that Sweetney made this decision based upon the statements made by Isiah in reference to trusting him with his training. This young man is a warrior. To average the amount of rebounds at the weight he was carrying in the limited playing time he got is phenomenal. This man will have a chip on his shoulder the size of the Garden. Isiah made the trade of Kurt because he put all of his eggs in that basket with Sweetney (plus you can't knock Nate and Q). Sweetney owes Isiah, us and mainly himself the opportunity to take his game to the next level. In order to do that he must allow his body to deliver what his mind has to offer. 250lbs/5% body fat with a Karl Malone work ethic to bat.

In summary - Put the Pork Sh!tterlings down and step away from the table

Lastly, I merely put forward one example of a player in Detroit and Philly (both LB stopoffs) that received significant playing time. This players game was similar from an offensive standpoint to Sweetney's game...except not as good: Corliss Williamson.

I've just got a feeling that the stars have aligned for this young man. Larry Brown as a teacher, coach and mentor means Sweetney has every opportunity to excell. As long as he holds up his part of the bargain...RESHAPE HIS BODY...I see absolutely no reason this man can't fulfill his potential and ascend to the level of an upper echelon low post player in the NBA.





[Edited by - Junkmein on 07/26/2005 05:06:34]

I think that if Sweetney come into camp with a better body, he will be a very good power forward.... on a different team. But this Knicks team is a guard oriented team. Unless Sweetney shoots over .70% from the field, he's not going to get enough touches to reach his potential, which I think would be 17-10. The only way that would change was if we got a Forward player that Marbury and Crawford et al would respect as a better player than themselves i.e. the superstars, KG, TD, Dirk, Amare. Till that happens, our guards will be the offense, and everyone else is there to clean up after them.

Larry Brown made it a point to get Ben Wallace involved in the offense from the minute he arrived in detroit so that the offense could be balanced....I'm pretty sure he will do the same with out 3 bigman who are all better than Big Ben offensively

Posted by JUNKMEIN:

1) If Larry Brown is our coach...and I do believe it will be official certainly before the week is out...Michael Sweetney will become a borderline Allstar...this year.

LB will utilize Sweetney's low post game as a main cog in the Knicks offensive scheme.[Edited by - Junkmein on 07/26/2005 05:06:34]

Don't know about all these predictions... Poincare's hypothesis states that prediction is impossible, lets just put it that way.

I certainly hope Sweetney breaks out. I just don't see him getting more PT than a guy like Rose who has more experience and plays smarter.

[/quote]

Don't know about all these predictions... Poincare's hypothesis states that prediction is impossible, lets just put it that way.

[/quote]

Poincare never met Dido! If he did, he might change his hypotheis!

here's my .02 $:


Mike Sweetney needed to lose the fat and improve his quickness.

If he was able to do that, and it's no guarantee b/c we haven't heard one way or the other yet, then I would agree with the assumption that he could very well become one of the better PF's in the leage. If he was just a bit more athletic (which could be achieved by losing the weight and improving his lateral), then he could easily give us 10 and 10 in 30 MPG...

[Edited by - bobs3304 on 07/26/2005 13:27:26]

If Sweetney doesn't get his body right this season. Then I doubt his desire to ever do it. Him becoming a good starter this season would make playoffs very likly. I would say Q & Sweetney are the biggest X factors for us making playoffs. Crawford-Frye-Ariza are the X factors for us becoming a more than a one rd and done playoff team.

if Sweetney mirrors Elton Brand, in any way shape or form, that's a huge tell on what kind of success we'll have next season. If he comes into training camp fat and out of shape -- his ass is gonna get traded faster than you can say "2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese".

i agree with your analysis, except you're def. wrong about the weight. in order for sweetney to maximize his potential, he needs to maximize his athleticism. only problem is that he's not very athletic to begin with, so any extra weight, no matter how small, is detrimental to his development as a player. he needs to shed the baby fat, and pack on some lean muscle. He also def. needs to work on his lateral, which will, in turn, improve his defense. he's a big boy to begin with so he should have no problem maintaining his post defense...

Sweetney isnt fast he's quick, and he's got great hands. I dont want him too light, I think he would lose some effectiveness. Maybe he could get a little stronger, but still stay around 275

22/10.5/3.5 at GTown and fat. 55% FGs and 10 FT's a game. We have seen him use his size at this level to push around Eddie Curry and Jermaine Oneil and score at will for stretches on those guys.

Lets utilized him properly first, then see if he needs to change his body

he needs to get in shape. getting in shape involves turning fat into muscle. he can still maintain his bulk while enhancing all other areas of his body...

[Edited by - bobs3304 on 07/26/2005 16:43:51]