I hope I am wrong but the addition of Amare at PF vs having a stretch 4 in Novak or a line up of
Lin
Iman
Fields
Novak
Tyson Chandler
seems to mesh better, with Lin being the focus of the offense, while his penetration, and the ability to stretch the court with TC in the paint alone, seems to be more effective as a unit. While Iman is the 2nd player that can take his man off the dribble and Fields shriving with the PnR at times as well. Most importantly, this line up allows Lin to have the room to penetrate, breaking the defense down, or/and allows a good look for an open shot. Everyone here moves the ball to the open man for the good shot, while Iman and Lin are the primary 2 players that can create their own shots and shoot off the dribble.
While a lineup of
Lin
Iman/Fields
Fields/Walker/Novak
JJ
Tyson Chandler
gives us our best defensive unit. Our team defense is superb while JJ has the foot speed, size, and length to anchor the defense with TC. With Lin/Iman being good defenders, staying in front of their match ups.
Amare is far much willing to play "team ball" but his 1v1 defense is horrible. He does provide better shot blocking but often doesn't box out and move well like JJ.
He has played his best basketball throughout his entire career with a good/great PG, versatile players that can spread the floor, and most importantly playing the Center causing a mismatch on both ends. He has the ability to penetrate vs a Center off the dribble, but needs the players that spread the floor as well, and can cover their own defensively.
He excels at the PnR, but it is at the Center position, but with TC in the paint, it would just cause the defense to pack the paint, and forcing us to shoot a shot, without the same good looks of having 4 shooters to spread the floor. TC is excels with that lineup because he has to just focus on beating his man for the rebound and position.
Adding JR Smith and Melo to the lineups surely adds talent but it is at the cost of CHEMISTRY. It is chemistry with the combination of either a lineup that can spread the floor
or having a good defensive unit, that has brought us these 7 game winning streak. The defensive we played during this streak were quite weak however, our talent wasn't very strong either. The last game vs New Orleans, the Knick's just looked totally out of it, like they partied hard together the night before with a lack of intensity/energy.
Credit has to be also given to defense of NO, with Vasquez's size, with Ariza length, and Kaman's size as well.
I hope we are able to find a way to work it out, build the chemistry needed to take us to the next level, and continue to maximize our lineups. By the end of the season or possibly even by the deadline, it could be possibly the best for our team to trade Amare and/or Melo for role players that fit team basketball. Players that maximize the strengths of
Lin
SG
Fields
PF
TC
Iman
Jorts
JJ
Novak
targeting players that mesh well together, with these players being FA's in the summer, using the salary Melo and/or Amare.
I think adding these type of players fit much better together, similar but far superior to the team that brought us the same 7 game winning streak.
Most importantly, with the same level of chemistry, ability to spread the floor, penetrate, and play good/great team defense, HIGH IQ BB players, and MOVE THE BALL effectively.
Adding some of these players to the roster above, is possible if we can dump both Amare and Melo. Stat is willing to play team basketball and probably holds far less value vs
Melo with an uninsured contract. I think he doesn't fit well with TC but if he have the right players, he can be a good player off the bench as the Center.
Having another player that can penetrate like Dragic would be needed, with shooters, and versatile players at the forward position.
Dragic or Sessions
Delfino/Ray Allen
Ilsonova
Wilson Chandler
Camby, KG, AK47
2/18/2012 12:12 PM
