The imagery will be irresistible, the temptation for sweeping judgments overpowering. Conclusions will be drawn and proclamations made, all of it justifiable, albeit possibly premature.

The Denver Nuggets are coming to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, bringing with them a fluid, egalitarian offense, a gleaming win-loss record and a vivid reminder of the trade that irrevocably altered the Knicks’ destiny.

Judgment will be in the eyes of the beholder, although those eyes may be stinging with rage.

- Howard Beck

Gallo, Wilson Chandler, Mosgov, Felton, picks

for

Melo, Tyson Chandler and Baron Davis

Whether you'd do it or not, I think it was a fair trade. Still, I hope we win that game just so the media can stop going on and on about it all season.

nyvector16 wrote:The fact that we have the exact same record after 14 games as last year when we had all the guys people are griping about losing in the trade seems to escape some people.

We are in the exact same position that we were at the same point last year when the team with Chandler, Gallo, Felton, Mozgov, and Anthony Randolph were still learning how to play as a team.

The other fact is that they are winning something like 60% of their games since the trade and we have a losing record.

OjilEye wrote:This just goes to prove that with any trade, it's not all about X's and O's, or sheer talent over role players.
You have to consider everything: salary compensation, team positional needs, and just as importantly, TEAM FIT.

Unless you're a top 5 talent a la Lebron & D-Wade, it is absolutely detrimental to the development and chemistry of your basketball team by bringing in multiple one-dimensional players. For example: players that need constant ball touches to thrive, offensive-minded only players, players that play in the same area of the court, etc.

Melo and Amare, while unquestionably offensively talented, were never known to have improved their surrounding teammates nor were known for their defense. Add those two together w/ a Mike Antoni... and well... here are your 2011-12 New York Knicks.

So true. It's not the pieces of the system, it's the interaction between these pieces that determines the outcome.

We have absolutely no answer for a team like the Nuggets which can run 10 good players at you
and not skip a beat for 4 quarters. On top of that, the Nuggets lead the league in assists. They are unselfish and they look for the hot hand in the 4th quarter for their "go to guy." They take turns being that guy.

More insight: The purpose of the second team is to rest your starters and hold the lead while they rest. Historically, good teams second units sometimes even add to the lead. Since we are only 7-8 deep at best, we can't expect to do well against a team with such depth.

I expect a Nuggets win by 10 or more Saturday night. I've said it before and I'll say it again....
I sincerely hope that a "stink up the joint performance" in this game will be the catalyst that sends MDA out the door and further exposes Dolan for the jerk that he is in forcing the Melo trade.

Final score:
Denver 111
Knicks 93

KBC

KNICKSBIGCATS wrote:

smackeddog wrote:I didn't like the trade, but it's unevenness is being exagerrated. Essentially it was:

Gallo, Wilson Chandler, Mosgov, Felton, (4) picks and cap space freedom (fixed)

for

Melo, Tyson Chandler, Baron Davis, loss of amnesty for the duration of the CBA, cap space hell,
and a gazillion dollars (fixed).

Whether you'd do it or not, I think it was a fair trade. Still, I hope we win that game just so the media can stop going on and on about it all season.

This much is obvious: We are run by one of the most egotistical owners in pro sports whose only objective is to full the Garden with fannies and turn a big profit. It's becoming more and more difficult for me to be a fan of such a losing atmosphere top to bottom.

Bonn1997 wrote:Denver is 28-12 post-trade. That's not a huge sample but it corresponds to almost 60 wins over a full season.

Then I was wrong, they are winning 70% of their games while we are below .500.