I know we are missing some pieces and the trade to bring Melo here depleated the reserves. I'm not harping about that. It was to be expected. Walsh (should he still here) has a very large challenge to rebuild this roster around our 2 stars but what kind of players is he going to bring in? What kind of team built around Melo/Amare can win a championship?

Q. fishmike - What kind of team built around Melo/Amare can win a championship?

A. A team that has four other guys who average double figures. A team that has three centers on the roster. You know, something like the Denver Nuggets.

Q. fishmike - What kind of players is (Walsh) going to bring in?

A. I have a sinking feeling that Walsh is retiring this summer.

Q. fishmike - Whats going to be our style of play?

A. Until the supporting cast is comfortable in their roles and produce on a regular basis ... mad inconsistent.

s3231 wrote:In my mind, watching Miami this season only confirmed my initial belief back in July on what type of team will be needed to beat them over the next 4-5 years. We need to frustrate them with length and toughness (basically bully them). That team has too much top talent to beat it with finese. Good news is that the hardest part is done in that we have a pretty damn good core right now but we still need to add another significant piece or two in the frontcourt to get to the next level. A guy like a Kendrick Perkins or a Tyson Chandler would be a huge boost. Guys like that are obviously not easy to find but I trust Walsh's ability to get the right pieces so hopefully Donnie is here next season.

Billups, Melo, and Amare are all tough guys and have the right mental makeup to be successful here (and Fields is obviously a good piece as well). We just need to add a couple of big guys that have the same swagger and can impact our defense in a positive sense.

very well said

Old school warriors like Charles Oakley, Buck Williams, Terry Cummings (who would be a perfect role model) and Anthony Mason

If the Knicks could get punked for 29 points by soph Tyler Hansbrough, in only his 14th NBA start, that is not a good sign

I miss 6'8, 6'10 and 7'.

I see Donnie getting us the right pieces in the off-season. Priority number one is to get some redwoods that can rebound. He did this with Timo and drafted/traded for another 7 footer in Jerome Jordan last off-season. He will do it again. I see him signing some bigs for 1 year contracts this summer or maybe going for broke with Tyson Chandler and sign him to a reasonable multi-year deal. Don't laugh but maybe we take a flyer at Yi Jianlian. Dude is a 7 footer and might actually play well with Amare. Not sure about his rebounding skills but to add depth and might be a low risk high reward type player on the cheap.

Rookie wrote:i wonder what the asking price will be for dalembert?

I'm not really enamored at acquiring him. My preference is to go after players who'll be RFA in 2012 or players on very small deals(like Mozgov). Not interested in committing yrs of salary at players like Dalembert not even at MLE money which more than likely that's what he'll command. He's not a chip caliber player. We need to get it out of our wishful thinking heads possible impact players are going to sign here on 1yr deals. Not in case we're going all in this summer and squashing 2012.... which that opens up another discussion because wasn't this year part of the plan?

Juice - isn't Dalembert 53 years old? You also have a great perspective on the Knicks fan impatience for the next best thing. The truth is, the difficult road to a championship has just started.

There is no free agent space eater ready to leverage his way out of his contract and our assets are limited, unless you believe teams are coveting Bill Walker and Roger Mason Jr., who are both likable.

With the removal of four productive rotation players, the Knicks must fill at least three slots with players who will be score, defend and rebound on a nightly basis. Much easier said than done. Amare and Carmelo will score points. Like owning a sports car that can go to 140, it does not mean you need to drive it that fast. It is nice to know the horses are there if you need them. Everyone must contribute and you need 25 team assists a night.

The rookie Landry Fields shows signs of being a consistent performer. Keep him.

After Fields, the rest are reserves. Shawne Williams has great size and shows a willingness to work on defense. He could grow with a dedication to work over the summer. Chauncey Billups is a question mark. Why? Because when your knees start barking at 34 years old, even a potential hall of famer will look a step slow when the schedule lumps games together on consecutive nights. Emotionally, he must be feeling ambivalent about being torn away from his family and hometown.

The Knicks are short two starters, two centers and a reliable 6'10 sixth man before the word Eastern Conference Finals can be used in a sentence.

TheGame wrote:The CBA will control our future. If some form of the MLE still exists and we wind up with a decent amount of cap room in 2012, we should be able to fill in the gaps of this team rather quickly. Guys will be flocking to play in NY with Amare and Melo. All we really need is a center, backup PF, and wing-defensive stopper who can actually make a layup (yes, Jeffries does not fit). This kid Brown has potential as a defensive stopper and we still have Balkman, who can make a layup. Carter solves our season long search for a competent backup PG. Sheldon is a solid backup PF, even though MDA does not seem to think so, but I think Earl Barron would be more than competent as a backup C/PF type. The only thing this team really needs is a startng caliber center, which is why losing Timmy hurt so much.

As far as what type of team we are building, it is going to be a typical MDA score more than the other team type concept. Melo and Amare are great halfcourt players, so our offense should not fall apart in the playoffs. I honestly think the team is what it is now, and we only need to fill in some gaps and find the right role players. If Douglas and Fields can continue to develop, we will be set at 4 of the 5 positions. All this team is missing is that defensive-minded center that is going to protect the paint and lessen the load on Amare.

True unchanged we're in trouble but with a hard cap of say close to Lux Tax figure then there's hope. Is anyone surprised we have athleticism on this team and very rarely use it outside of Amar'e?

SupremeCommander wrote:

fishmike wrote:

SupremeCommander wrote:great question. seems like hte coach wants one thing, the players another

who wants what? I just see them trying to figure out how to play good bb, which they struggle with night in and out. Whats the identity you think the players want here?

when the team has played its best, it doens't seem like a SSOL offesne/system. Seems like a more traditional inside/out half court offense. Maybe that's Chauncey and Melo not knowing the system and playing more of what they know. But I don't really see the point in flying up and down the court when we have three of the best offensive weapons in the game. I kind of think limiting the other team's possessions is a better way for us to win, especially if we actually play defense

Thats not really me defending SSOL, just pointing out that in theory we should be a better SSOL team because we have elite scorers...

Franco I disagree on the center notion. Mosgov was an athletic banger type. JJ has ZERO offensive skills yet MDA loves him. MDA will play a better small player over a less skilled big one, I agree there, but I think he's killed the notion he doesnt care about size