so, will AD be our starting PF? if that is the case, we are in trouble. We need fRYE to be on the court at PF.

I'm honestly thinking post all star break...when everyone breaths that big sigh of relief that they weren't traded, we go on a tear.

But...hey, I could be wrong.

I think the line up brown will use is:
Marbs, Q, Reezy, Veteran, Curry.

And rotate the energy defensive JYD team in when necessary.

He could start Crawford at the 2 and move Q to the 3, but I'm thinking he will start with one lineup and by the time we are gelling, Craw or Reezy is coming off the bench.

I mean, Reezy is still on 20 years old for pete's sake...I think he's still the youngest Knick.

[Edited by - rvhoss on 10-19-2005 15:47]

And rotate the energy defensive JYD team in when necessary.
[Edited by - rvhoss on 10-19-2005 15:47]

JYD??

"Hey Ellen are you jellin"
"I'm jellin like a felon, want some melon?"
"I'm like Magellan, I'm so jellin"
"Stop your yelling. I don't think you're gellin'."

Yeah, you can tell it's going to take a while. Remember that season where we got LJ, Houston, Childs and Buck Williams? That was an awesome offseason and a frickin' incredible mix of talented veteran players with a strong coach, and that team still took until the playoffs to really get rolling. This project is going to take longer.

One thing I'll say though is that David Lee is instant chemistry, a real glue guy that I think can help expediate the process. He hustles, boards, defends, runs the floor, handles, and passes. When he plays good things happen.

No, negative on you. I know full well what I'm talking about, thank you. You think I'd confuse 97 for 99? That's insulting, what the hell kind of fan do you think I am?

Yes, we had a very good season that year, but nonetheless the team still took a while to really gel-- if you remember early in the season, LJ and Houston were both a bit tentative and it took a while for them to really find their roles in the offense. The team just happened to be so good top to bottom on both ends of the court that it won 57 anyway. But clearly they were on another plane altogether by the time the playoffs came around.

I remember what Tom is talking about. One of the tabloids had on the back page "Houston, We Have a Problem"

Still, that team did win games out of the gate. The 99 team went 27-24 in the short schedule. Obviously the talent was higher than that and the creme rose to the top in the playoffs. It didnt hurt getting the Hawks in the 2nd round as we took the #1 seed bracket.

Posted by fishmike:

I remember what Tom is talking about. One of the tabloids had on the back page "Houston, We Have a Problem"

Still, that team did win games out of the gate.

That's not the point. Like I said, they were talented, experienced, and well-coached enough to win anyway. But there was still clearly a lot of gelling that needed to happen, a lot of chemistry that needed to be built before they could reach their full potential. That didn't really happen in full until the very end of the season and the playoffs.

The larger point here is that if it took a team of vets like that a whole season to really max out-- remember, we're talking a team that still had Ewing, Oak, and Starks from the 94 finals team, plus Van Gundy pretty much carrying on the legacy of Riley's system, plus LJ and Houston coming in already with some seasons under their belt and a big-time seasoned vet in Buck Williams-- you can imagine how long it might take this team. The 97 squad took a full season to really gel even though they basically already had all the important stuff in place and a strong foundation to build on. With this team, the foundation hasn't even been built yet. So don't expect the world this season.