bernard wrote:We've got 6 guys -- Kidd, JR, Melo, Novak, Brewer and Felton -- over 40%, all in the top 35 in the league. That's amazing, particularly since we shoot so many 3's. I don't know what happens when those numbers start to decline -- and it's hard to imagine they won't (particularly for Brewer and Felton). Do we keep playing the same way, and just score a little less? Do we stop shooting quite so many?

If we want some things to worry about, it'd be this, our incredibly low turnover rate (also perhaps not sustainable) and our weak rebounding, which I fear is something we aren't likely to turn around with the guys we got.

Even if it lowers with won't hurt much. Our average margin of victory and defensive numbers leads to the conclusion that we will be fine regardless of that. Also most of these shots taken are in flow of offense and good looks. JR, Melo, NOvak and Kidd should still shoot a good percentage. Brewer if he gets cold plays within himself and will stop shooting them if he is missing & Felton mixes in drives to balance a cold shooting night out. This is a smart team and I think they adjust on nights they are cold.

gunsnewing wrote:This is where Amare fits in

Habits will have set in by then. Shooting deep perimeter shots as a first option is a habit not an adaptive style of play nor one that leans to mixing styles. It's not like we were ever fine tuned with Amar'e. Amar'e will have his knee on his mind when he plays too.

3G4G wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:This is where Amare fits in

Habits will have set in by then. Shooting deep perimeter shots as a first option is a habit not an adaptive style of play nor one that leans to mixing styles. It's not like we were ever fine tuned with Amar'e. Amar'e will have his knee on his mind when he plays too.

Shooting deep perimeter shots is not the first option. the shots are coming from plays, deep penetration, drives and kicks and more. This team rarely looks out of control and most of the time are taking shots they wanted to take. It's not a chuck fest out there. I've already seen plenty of times already this season if we get cold from outside Melo & Felton makes a effort to drive and get to the foul line. We have a coach that makes common sense adjustments.

On the plus side, we've got 2 of our top players hopefully coming back. That should raise our level of play even if the shots don't fall quite so often.

bernard wrote:To be clear, I'm not a hater. I love the way we're playing, on both sides of the ball. The offense looks really good -- and I think we'll continue to get good shots out of our sets, and continue to have great options (Melo and JR) when our sets don't work and we need to go 1 on 1 at the end of the shot clock. I think we'll continue to be really good. That said, I we might be playing a little above our heads.

On the plus side, we've got 2 of our top players hopefully coming back. That should raise our level of play even if the shots don't fall quite so often.

Watching the team I actually think we have a lot of holes and are not even close to our potential as a team. Novak isn't right yet. Brewer, Sheed, Camby are still out of shape. Pablo is stil figuring out the NBA game. The defense still needs some work. And like you said Amare & Shump aren't even back. I don't think we are playing above our heads at all.

FoeDiddy wrote:

3G4G wrote:

FoeDiddy wrote:

3G4G wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:This is where Amare fits in

Habits will have set in by then. Shooting deep perimeter shots as a first option is a habit not an adaptive style of play nor one that leans to mixing styles. It's not like we were ever fine tuned with Amar'e. Amar'e will have his knee on his mind when he plays too.

Shooting deep perimeter shots is not the first option. the shots are coming from plays, deep penetration, drives and kicks and more. This team rarely looks out of control and most of the time are taking shots they wanted to take. It's not a chuck fest out there. I've already seen plenty of times already this season if we get cold from outside Melo & Felton makes a effort to drive and get to the foul line. We have a coach that makes common sense adjustments.

The team is running this style to shoot the 3ball, ISO Melo, or throw lobs..... not layups, midrange shots, shots off screens, backdoors, pts in the paint, from the post, from the elbow....etc etc. Our players stay perimeter the majority of the game. It is a chuckfest it just doesn't look like it because we're making the shots wait till they stop falling. It's the very reason we have big leads yet teams are never truly out of the game.

Not true at all. Melo, Chandler & Felton get plenty of lay up opportunities. Melo & Felton get plays called for elbow jumpers.

One of the big differences of the team in comparison from the past is when we get a big lead we keep it besides a couple of games. Look at our Margin of Victory average and that knocks your argument out the water. When teams get down 10 to us it never seems like they will come back unlike previous seasons. We play Defense so it discourages teams from coming back. How many games has Melo sat out a majority of final quarter. Your views seem to be very cloudy.

Nah. We just play chuck and duck ball. Woodson is one dimensional, a one trick pony!

FoeDiddy wrote:

3G4G wrote:

FoeDiddy wrote:

3G4G wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:This is where Amare fits in

Habits will have set in by then. Shooting deep perimeter shots as a first option is a habit not an adaptive style of play nor one that leans to mixing styles. It's not like we were ever fine tuned with Amar'e. Amar'e will have his knee on his mind when he plays too.

Shooting deep perimeter shots is not the first option. the shots are coming from plays, deep penetration, drives and kicks and more. This team rarely looks out of control and most of the time are taking shots they wanted to take. It's not a chuck fest out there. I've already seen plenty of times already this season if we get cold from outside Melo & Felton makes a effort to drive and get to the foul line. We have a coach that makes common sense adjustments.

The team is running this style to shoot the 3ball, ISO Melo, or throw lobs..... not layups, midrange shots, shots off screens, backdoors, pts in the paint, from the post, from the elbow....etc etc. Our players stay perimeter the majority of the game. It is a chuckfest it just doesn't look like it because we're making the shots wait till they stop falling. It's the very reason we have big leads yet teams are never truly out of the game.

Not true at all. Melo, Chandler & Felton get plenty of lay up opportunities. Melo & Felton get plays called for elbow jumpers.

One of the big differences of the team in comparison from the past is when we get a big lead we keep it besides a couple of games. Look at our Margin of Victory average and that knocks your argument out the water. When teams get down 10 to us it never seems like they will come back unlike previous seasons. We play Defense so it discourages teams from coming back. How many games has Melo sat out a majority of final quarter. Your views seem to be very cloudy.

Guy you are talking to the king of basketball who knows more than you or anyone else on this board about basketball. I used to think that Carmelo got doubled a lot and that defenses tilted towards him but now I know better. Melo and Felton never drive to the basket and those screens set by the players to open up Jr, Novak, Melo, and Felton are really figments of my imagination. Once you really watch the game you to will see that. Those games where it looked like Melo and Tyson didn't play in the 4th qtr was hard for me to realize then it came to me that they simply switched bodies ala Freaky Friday.

You'll come around too.