With Woodson firing Joe Glass and joining the same representatives for Melo and JR Smith, it is an indication that Melo is not going anywhere.
Melo was a trade forced by Dolan and he will not admit that he made a bad move, so it is very unlikely to move Melo.
Lin is obviously staying with the $ and global attention for endorsements/ advertisements, regardless of what he can or can't do on the court.
If we keep this core together, Amare should be removed in the starting lineup and play the least minutes as possible with all 3 together.
However, with our cap situation, it just makes its tough to acquire real talent that we very much need to be a true contender.
During Linsanity, we won with good defense, good spacing, and the penetration Lin used to break down the defenses.
But we subtracted talent form our squad, using our 2nd unit players, and played beautiful basketball.
Our defense was the key, with everyone knowing their strengths, and played very hard each play.
Jared Jeffries played great defense at the PF/C, with Iman and Tyson Chandler, and Fields was playing SF not SG which is his natural position.
We never went ISO, never had a "star or all star", ran the PnR (moving the basketball with shooters/penetration) , and playing tough defense to win.
We simply meshed, while our "Stars" obviously did not. Most importantly, we had an identity and team chemistry, while our current starting lineup does not.
To create good shots and high % shots, good 3point shots, we need multiple players that have the ability to penetrate off the dribble, and post up players.
Mix that in with good spacing, good shooters, and good ball movement, then, we would have the ability to attack our opponents defense, breaking it down for high % shots.
Watch OKC and Spurs and you can see how they are able to be be one of the highest scoring teams in the league.
We have too much $ invested in all 3 of these players, while they do not mesh well together.
So breaking them apart, rather than starting off the season with the same 3, with a difference philosophy, identity, and create develop chemistry as early as possible.
Choosing between Amare or TC should be our next step in moving forward.
Amare and Tyson Chandler do not work well together with Melo, as their weaknesses were evident throughout the whole season.
Aside from the games when Woodson first took over, those 3 never showed any consistency playing together.
Amare can put up great numbers at center, while the loss of Tyson Chandler, would leave a great hole at our defensive side.
Even last year, he did well last year with Melo and this year, when Tyson Chandler was out, all 3 almost never showed any signs of being able to mesh together.
When Stat plays PF, he has shown the inability to be ineffective, with TOs, getting blocked, unable to get a good look, without the room needed, and can't even shoot well when a PF defends him. Stat has is advantages when he plays at Center, because centers generally, do not have the speed and quickness to defend Amare.
Like in Phoenix and our pre Melo Knicks, Amare needs a athletic 4, that can spread the floor, rebound, and have a great balanced game.
With Marion and Wilson Chandler, players that space the floor play good defense, and having a PG that has the ability to penetrate and facilitate are needed.
His value is at an all time low, while I think he is much better than his stats suggest, its because he just doesn't fit well with Tyson and Melo together.
Tyson and Amare do not have any post up games and both of them together take up the room for Melo to be an option to post up.
At PF, Amare has been inconsistent shooting, while teams will always dare him and Melo to shoot, while fighting off TC for rebounding position.
It doesn't help that Tyson is not a threat for a shot at all, while he shoots a good % at the FT line.
Tyson as DPOY, has the most value and has been our most consistent player throughout the season, with exception to his playoff performance.
He just had to do too much on the defensive end, constantly covering for our weak links of Amare, Lin, Fields, and Melo.
He is our only shot blocker, our only aggressive rebounder, while no one can help him, when he helps others, when our defense constantly gets broken down.
How can JJ and Novak(at the PF), play better than Amare, and Melo(vs Fields at SF) with Tyson?
Everyone played off the penetration that Lin created, vs standing and watching, as Amare and Melo constantly, look to do once they touch the ball.
We had great ball movement, without the egos to worry about with Amare and Melo, while everyone was on the same page.
So adding players like Odom, Ak47, even Kenyon Martin, Brandon Wright, Mahimi, to Jeffries would make our overall production much better.
So moving Amare while his value is at his lowest or Tyson Chandler, which is the key for our defensive improvements would instantly make Amare increase his value.
Moving Amare, we can easily find replacements that would fit much better, as Novak and JJ both showed they can do.
While the realistic deals for Amare, could be a combination of, players with bad contracts or expiring players in the final year of the contract.
Whatever, move it is we make, it is evident that our "big 3" is failed experiment, and we have to make a decision, as another losing season would only hurt their egos more
and bring their value even lower. Either play a faster pace with Amare at center, with the right players around him, or being a better defensive team without Amare, and the right pairings to TC to be the anchors of our defense. I hope, we all can admit to this, and realize it before the season starts. I do think Amare is tradeable and TC has good value
as DPOY. However, a Pau Gasol trade for Amare just is not happening. TC could bring good players but we will lose the ability to become a top defensive team. Just some realistic trades include, unloading some of our junk for some of them so we can have a MLE and LLE (TD and Jordan) and our better role players in (Novak, Fields, Jorts)
Dallas - Odom, Haywood, Brandon Wright or Mahimi, with a S&T Kidd or Terry
Golden State - Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson (combination of picks they have 2 1st rounders this year and 2 2nd rounders)
New Orleans - Ok4 and Ariza
Houston - combinations of Camby(S&T) or Dalembert(final year) or Scola, Kevin Martin (final year), and they have 2 PGs that would with Dragic(S&T) or Lowry)
Bobcats - Maggette (final year), Diop(final year), Augstine(RFA) or Matt Carroll(final year) and/or future picks with this years 31 pick (the 1st 2nd round pick)
Washington - Rashard Lewis(final year) and picks they own 2 1st rounders, 2 2nd rounders
Lakers - Metta World Peace, Jordan Hill, Sessions, Steve Blake, and Josh McRoberts
Bucks - Udrih (final year), Gooden, Luc Mbah a Moute or Dunleavey *Novak goes back for them*
Toronto - Calderon(final year), Amir Johnson, Kleiza
Kings - Salmons, Garcia(team option so he is a expiring), Tyreke Evans or Jason Thompson or Donte Green and Terrence Williams
Detroit - has many combination of bad contracts with Ben Gordon or Charlie Villanueva, with some decent role players and expirings in Prince, Stuckey, Jonas Jerebko, Maxiell,
Will Bynum, Austin Daye
