Defense really, really worries me, as does our front court. I like having Calderon, Prigs and Larkin at PG, and I like having Shump, Tim Jr and JR at SG- it gives us lots of options. Not sure what the PF & C rotations will be, but again there's options.

CrushAlot wrote:I am really excited about Acy. I hope he makes it into the rotation. I think you are right about Smith at the two. I am not sure if both Amare and Bargs start. Its a bit interesting that Phil mentioned Melo as being a power forward option. I think both Jason Smith and Dalembert get at least 22 minutes a night. I am not sure if those are off the bench minutes or starter minutes. I also am wondering how much Early plays. I think the Knicks might see Outlaw as the back up for Melo.

+100000000 great post and totally agree

I really feel he can break out and be the steal trade, playing a role similar to Kmart with his combination of mobility/athleticism/ and most importantly ENERGY/HUSTLE having a multiple effect/affect
We have played the best the past couple of years with Kmart in any starting lineup and finishing lineup for most games, because he fits in with CA and one of our weak links in AB/STAT, he is undersized but the mobility/athleticism/speed allows him to help and recover on DEF, on OFF, he could roll to the basket with 4 other scorers to spread the floor if the DEF cheats, not allowing them to recover in time
a poor man's Faried/Rodman/Kmart/Reggie Evans, he has been a very good rebounder through out his short career and could really be the glue man
He could be used to initiate our FAST BREAK and or finish the fast break before our opponents DEF can recover, and give us easy baskets, especially with CA/JR Smith to get them going with the rest of the team to build the confidence

As, part of the winning culture, we need to reward players that play 100% with energy/effort/DEF and he can provide that

One thing about Bargs was that he was actually better at Center than some give him credit for. We won some tough games with Bargs at C. Don't know what that means now with this system and roster. I've read some articles joking about Fish being high on Bargs but those writers haven't seen Bargs in this system and I'm sure Fish has been getting reports from the scrimmages the players have been having on their own. Phil has some role in mind.

I really wonder whether Outlaw will be able to hold off Early in making the rotation. IMO the talent gap is considerable. Early May be green but I just can't imagine Outlaw outplaying him. I could be wrong but it's just the feeling I get having see both players. Early is quicker and more explosive on the break. I actually think Early is a better shooter and defender too.

nixluva wrote:I like Acy but wonder how this rotation shakes out.

One thing about Bargs was that he was actually better at Center than some give him credit for. We won some tough games with Bargs at C. Don't know what that means now with this system and roster. I've read some articles joking about Fish being high on Bargs but those writers haven't seen Bargs in this system and I'm sure Fish has been getting reports from the scrimmages the players have been having on their own. Phil has some role in mind.

I really wonder whether Outlaw will be able to hold off Early in making the rotation. IMO the talent gap is considerable. Early May be green but I just can't imagine Outlaw outplaying him. I could be wrong but it's just the feeling I get having see both players. Early is quicker and more explosive on the break. I actually think Early is a better shooter and defender too.

I've forgotten everything about Bargs performance last season, other than the Bucks game and the play he injured himself on! But now you mention it, I do seem to remember that he was better at centre than he was at PF. The problem is Bargs is a bit of a no-trick pony- he doesn't do anything well enough to cancel out his negatives- I'd rather play Jason Smith (better defender and shooter), Acy (hustle, rebounding, shooting, passion), Amar'e (scoring and a better rebounder), Dalambert (rebounds, blocks shots). All those players can give you more than Bargs- at this point, aside for his salary, I don't get why Bargs would get minutes over any of those guys.

smackeddog wrote:

nixluva wrote:I like Acy but wonder how this rotation shakes out.

One thing about Bargs was that he was actually better at Center than some give him credit for. We won some tough games with Bargs at C. Don't know what that means now with this system and roster. I've read some articles joking about Fish being high on Bargs but those writers haven't seen Bargs in this system and I'm sure Fish has been getting reports from the scrimmages the players have been having on their own. Phil has some role in mind.

I really wonder whether Outlaw will be able to hold off Early in making the rotation. IMO the talent gap is considerable. Early May be green but I just can't imagine Outlaw outplaying him. I could be wrong but it's just the feeling I get having see both players. Early is quicker and more explosive on the break. I actually think Early is a better shooter and defender too.

I've forgotten everything about Bargs performance last season, other than the Bucks game and the play he injured himself on! But now you mention it, I do seem to remember that he was better at centre than he was at PF. The problem is Bargs is a bit of a no-trick pony- he doesn't do anything well enough to cancel out his negatives- I'd rather play Jason Smith (better defender and shooter), Acy (hustle, rebounding, shooting, passion), Amar'e (scoring and a better rebounder), Dalambert (rebounds, blocks shots). All those players can give you more than Bargs- at this point, aside for his salary, I don't get why Bargs would get minutes over any of those guys.

As much as Bargs gets criticized and most of it is much deserved, he does have some qualities that could be exploited by the right coach and with the right usage. When he was defending all those top C's last year he was doing to them things that others on this list you have could only hope to do. Bargs has been a very good man defender for years but really hasn't been utilized as a stopper against C's given his ability to frustrate those guys. He has the potential for games like this:

He's recently been in the top 15% of NBA players in isolation defense. When guarding big men shooting jumpers, Bargnani holds them to 30% shooting

We know he had some awful games, but he also had some really good games and when he wasn't ignored in the offense he was really good. A lot gets said, but I think he can be a very worthwhile part of this rotation if used properly and coached up.

Andrea Bargnani produced 25 points Friday night, his finest performance by far in his short Knicks career, in a 101-91 win over the Bobcats in Charlotte, N.C., but coach Mike Woodson was more impressed by the 7-footer’s effort on the defensive end, in his first start at center.
“Offensively, he might not be there every night, but I thought he did a lot of things from a defensive standpoint that was really good for our team,” Woodson said, cracking a rare smile. “I was pretty pleased with his play.”
Bargnani, a former No. 1 overall pick, was more aggressive at both ends of the floor filling in for injured center Tyson Chandler. He took a team-high 25 shots and made 11 of them, he blocked five shots, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists.
“The team and the coaches are helping me since Day 1 to adjust to the new team and the new system so I try to help them to play my normal game, be aggressive, shoot when I’m open,” Bargnani said.
Bargnani certainly impressed J.R. Smith, who makes his return to the court Sunday against the Spurs after serving a five-game suspension for violating terms of the NBA’s anti-drug policy.
“I think [Bargnani] played unbelievable [Friday], especially from a defensive standpoint,” Smith said. “Everybody harps on he’s not a defensive player, he can’t do this, he can’t do that. I think he played great [Friday] and we’ve got to keep expecting big things from him.”

I really like what we might get from Jason Smith. I'm not that high on Dalembert. He's OK, but really I think they should keep Dalembert's minutes down and give other bigs on the team a chance. Aldrich may have more potential than Dalembert could give us.

EnySpree wrote:The biggest cliché is for the team to buy in. The rookies and summer league junkies did in just a few weeks work great results. I'm hoping the vets well come in, egos aside and run the system and let the coaches do their jobs. We have some good players that can contribute. There's so many ways we can approach this from the team stand point. Any and every guy in the roster had potentials as a rotation player.

Another thing that was probably an issue in the past was the kind of apathy that can set in when you come to camp and it's the same old, same old. This year it's ALL NEW. There isn't anything that will feel the same from the camp location to the coaches and system. It's got to feel 100% fresh to these players. I'm guessing that will help them be much more focused. Not to mention seeing Phil around watching.