The team is still young after all the trades. It looks like there's still a great amount of athleticism as well. I see a lot of good speed and the real need is for some size to be added. That's not a bad spot to be in given the amount of FA's that will be available once the lockout is over. I'm hoping and praying that STAT can get thru to Walker, cuz he's got a lot of talent, but hasn't been in the best shape IMO. If Walker can get into real NBA shape, he can be a very good role player.

I'm looking forward to an improved Landry Fields. I think he had a great rookie season, despite how things ended. He may have just hit a wall, but I think he's gonna be a key player going forward. Perhaps we can see more of Brown who also has some real upside. If Shawne can give us a little bit more of the same he's a very good player that still has upside. I think he grew a ton over the course of the year. He went from out of the rotation to a key cog and better than expected defender.

NO.	NAME	                POS	AGE	HT	WT	2011-2012 SALARY
1	Amare Stoudemire	PF	28	6-10	240	$18,217,705
7	Carmelo Anthony	        SF	27	6-8	230	$18,518,574
4	Chauncey Billups	PG	34	6-3	210     $14,200,000
6	Landry Fields	        G	23	6-7	210	$788,872
23	Toney Douglas	        G	25	6-2	185	$1,145,640
21	Iman Shumpert	        G	21	6-5	212	
3	Shawne Williams	        SF	25	6-9	230	$854,389
14	Ronny Turiaf	        C	28	6-10	245	$4,630,000
5	Bill Walker	        SG	23	6-6	220	$916,100
2	Derrick Brown	        F	23	6-8	220     $762,195
0	Josh Harrellson	        PF/C	22	6-10	275		 
11	Andy Rautins	        G	24	6-4	190	$788,872
32	Renaldo Balkman	        PF	27	6-8	208	$1,675,000
0       Jerome Jordan           C       24      7-0     240
9	Jared Jeffries	        PF	29	6-11	240	$221,136

Just looking at the overall situation I think the team is in good shape for the 1st time in a decade.

"good shape" to win a title next year?
"good shape" financially?

My stance on those definitions are...

We were swept last year in the 1st round. We added players from a supposedly weak draft, so not much improvemet there. The team can get better by gaining more chemistry but so can other teams. I do not think the current team is in shape to win the title next year.

Financially. I guess this is the best it's been in a while. But now we are still seeking cheap labor with upside, like every other team. Unfortunately our bench is very weak and we need more veteran experience. The roster is filled with cheap players that have not accomplished much in their career.

The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat are still far away.

All in all, we are in better shape than we have been over the past 10 years, but this team is far from complete.

Knixkik wrote:

TheGame wrote:We have no long-term solution at pg. We still have no proven center. Billups has become injury prone and Amare may have chronic back problems. Plus, Melo and Amare are still a long way from learning to play off of each other. Iman still must prove he can actually shoot, TD needs to find a role, and Fields needs to expand his game. This team will get to the playoffs on talent alone, but to actually compete with Boston, Miami, or Chicago, the Knicks will have to patch the holes on this team, improve the defense, and play with more consistency.

All in all, we are in better shape than we have been over the past 10 years, but this team is far from complete.

I think it's too early to make the assumption that we have no long-term solution and PG and that Billups is injury prone. Look at Billups history of games played. He has played in more than 70 games each year. He played in 72 games this year. He just had a couple bad breaks when he came here, and he is getting up there in age. But no one can label him at injury prone yet. And the chronic back problems statement is premature too. I can tell you back injuries take a long time to completely heal.

We obviously want Chris Paul, but i think the jury is still out on the combination of Billups and Shumpert. Billups could easily take his leadership and talent and mesh with this team perfectly, stay healthy like he has been with the exception of last season's small stint, and help lead this team to a title as the starting PG for the next 3 years. Also, Shumpert could easily become his successor, coming off the bench and learning from Billups, and playing alongside him a lot for a few years until Billups retires. Not saying all of this will happen, but we could easily have the PG plan right on our current roster. We will know it all this season if there is a season, but if Billups has a good season and we get deep into the playoffs, and Shumpert also shows some promise, we might want to resign Billups on a reasonable 2-year contract and have Shumpert develop as his successor. Then spend next summer adding real talent at other position, a guard like OJ Mayo, and a solid center. But i think it's very possible we have the PG position set for the future.

I don't necesssarily disagree, but there are just alot of ifs on this team. The summer league play would have shed some light on where Shumpert, Jordan, Jost, Rautins, and Fields are at, but that did not happen. At this point, nothing to do but wait.

Nalod wrote:Nix,

We were a playoff team ALL of last season.

I dig your positive manner but a lot of it is just your opinion.

what can't be lost is that other teams do get better also, and some do fall at the same time.

While I can agree based on roster changes and as it sits we should remain a playoff team and not go backwards.

From their is anyones guess and yours is as good as anyones.

I can't imagine going beyond one season at at time but if you must, yoots should get better but Amare and Melo are at their prime and its just normal for them to plateau (not a bad thing) or decline (injuries do matter!).

Starphuch dreams of CP3 or Deron are nice and usually the Knick fans way of coping.

Im there as a fan and would like to see the yoots, Rautins included really contribute. Its what makes following a team fun.

Maybe thats why some (including me) did not like the trade as I don't see the melo deal as elevating us to elite status given the talent we had to give up. Im not saying we were there, or that group was going to do it but I just thought we over paid and perhaps a better return could have been made with those assets or we did not have to spent so much. All that has been argued and is water under the bridge. This is what we got and its not bad at all.

I would see a season upcoming a success if we can make it into the 2nd round and grow our yoots still. That is an improvement over last year. For MDA to keep his job I'd bench mark a better w-l record and at least compete in the first round. I suppose it depends on where we finish and who our opponent is. Things happen.

As for STAT and Melo being in their prime and not getting better, I refute that with the performance of KG and Allen in their 30's when they came to Boston and Dirk and Kidd playing out of their minds to win a title at an advanced age. Compared to those situations we're in good shape going forward. KG and Allen are 35 and 36 and still doing it.

It's always this belief that i'm in some kind of fantasy land, but no one tend to actually pay attention to the evidence I provide in my posts. This team is set up for the future cap wise and the Heat are locked off unless they can make a big trade. The Heat will be over the cap for years. The Bulls still need to find a 2nd scoring wing to help Rose. The Knicks biggest issue is really finding a serviceable Center. I'm not just singing pollyanna BS, these are actual facts.

nixluva wrote:

Nalod wrote:Nix,

We were a playoff team ALL of last season.

I dig your positive manner but a lot of it is just your opinion.

what can't be lost is that other teams do get better also, and some do fall at the same time.

While I can agree based on roster changes and as it sits we should remain a playoff team and not go backwards.

From their is anyones guess and yours is as good as anyones.

I can't imagine going beyond one season at at time but if you must, yoots should get better but Amare and Melo are at their prime and its just normal for them to plateau (not a bad thing) or decline (injuries do matter!).

Starphuch dreams of CP3 or Deron are nice and usually the Knick fans way of coping.

Im there as a fan and would like to see the yoots, Rautins included really contribute. Its what makes following a team fun.

Maybe thats why some (including me) did not like the trade as I don't see the melo deal as elevating us to elite status given the talent we had to give up. Im not saying we were there, or that group was going to do it but I just thought we over paid and perhaps a better return could have been made with those assets or we did not have to spent so much. All that has been argued and is water under the bridge. This is what we got and its not bad at all.

I would see a season upcoming a success if we can make it into the 2nd round and grow our yoots still. That is an improvement over last year. For MDA to keep his job I'd bench mark a better w-l record and at least compete in the first round. I suppose it depends on where we finish and who our opponent is. Things happen.

It's of course my opinion, what else can I speak on. The thing is tho that there are reasonable assumptions we can make. One is that this team should be better given a full training camp and regular season to build chemistry. This team has more proven talent than it did to start the year last year.

As for STAT and Melo being in their prime and not getting better, I refute that with the performance of KG and Allen in their 30's when they came to Boston and Dirk and Kidd playing out of their minds to win a title at an advanced age. Compared to those situations we're in good shape going forward. KG and Allen are 35 and 36 and still doing it.

It's always this belief that i'm in some kind of fantasy land, but no one tend to actually pay attention to the evidence I provide in my posts. This team is set up for the future cap wise and the Heat are locked off unless they can make a big trade. The Heat will be over the cap for years. The Bulls still need to find a 2nd scoring wing to help Rose. The Knicks biggest issue is really finding a serviceable Center. I'm not just singing pollyanna BS, these are actual facts.

Nixluva, I applaud your enthusiasm and second your thoughts regarding the team and it's progress. Sure, we have needs, but I believe that the glass is definitely more full than empty. Looking forward to the beginning of a season, and the further development of our team.

The Mavs really only had one issue and they solved that with bringing in Tyson and having a good group of bodies to throw at the C position. That's what the Knicks need to do. Tyson isn't an All Star, but he's a good C and fill a role. That's all we're looking for now. A guy that can adequately fill that C spot so that it's not a glaring weakness. I feel really good about this team given that reality.

Knixkik wrote:

nixluva wrote:Every team has weaknesses. It's all about how severe those weaknesses are. The most important aspect is having top tier talent. We have two of the best players in the league and in particular guys that can finish games. STAT led the league in 4th qtr points and Melo is a top closer. For the Knicks we have one side of the ball on lock. This is a top offensive team. What we lack is enough strength on the defensive side of the ball. Primarily it's the C spot. We aren't strong enough on the boards either. So it's not like we need a lot of pieces. We're really only talking about one position now. The chances of filling a need at one spot are much higher than if you have a lot of holes. This is what happened with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavs really only had one issue and they solved that with bringing in Tyson and having a good group of bodies to throw at the C position. That's what the Knicks need to do. Tyson isn't an All Star, but he's a good C and fill a role. That's all we're looking for now. A guy that can adequately fill that C spot so that it's not a glaring weakness. I feel really good about this team given that reality.

I agree with all of this, especially after seeing the Mavs win. What i don't understand is why people on this board are so dissatisfied with the talent on this roster. If i told you during the end of the 2009-2010 season that we would be replacing Duhon, Gallo, and Lee in the starting lineup with Billups, Melo, and Stoudemire, most would say we are a title contender. Now that it's the case, and we have time to build chemistry, people think we are no better than a first round exit team. I just don't get it. Add to that we have a first team all-rookie selection at SG and a promising first round pick with defensive stopper potential and people still think we aren't a very good team. We have the talent are now have time to mesh it together. We have holes to fill, but aren't that far off.

I rack it up to a decade of losing! Now we have an entire fanbase that can't accept that the team isn't a bottom feeder anymore. Like this team and how we got it or not, this is a contender from here on. Of course this team isn't perfect but it's much better and it has time and still a few ways it can get better. I like that we aren't capped out. As good as the Heat are they are capped out for years. They'll have to use one of their stars to create room to improve. We don't have to do that. As for the draft picks they'll be meaningless as we play from here on. Just gotta hope that they make a great choice in who they bring in to play Center! That's the real ? right now. Who's it gonna be?

I'd like someone with an edge to their game. Just a little bit nasty. Don't think I see anyone like that tho. I know Jorts has that kind of nasty Bill Laimbeer type of game.