KNICKSBIGCATS wrote:5-28 and still not rock bottom.

Phil needs to take the time machine back to the glory days of 1970
and use that team as a template for future acquisitions.
Man, I miss those days.....

BigCats is right.

Defense and "Hit the open man"!!!! Ball movement!!
Red Had his system.

As a reminder the knicks of legend had some bumps. One was of course the Celtics who in 1969 were ripe for the taking but Knicks could not get them out of the way. Bill Russell's last year.

The team was stacked. The 2-1 trade of Bellamy (all star big) and the high volumne Howard Komives trade for Dave Debussure (player coach for Detroit) was met with some critics at the time. Since the chemistry was not apparent it looked like a bad trade at first. Reed was Antonio McDyess at that time before his knees grounded him! He was an allstar 4 at the time. Not a center.

Also we had Cazzie Russell who was the man in College but was a bit selfish and had knee problems. Never was star he was projected to be.
When Bradley came back form his Rhodes scholar days his time as 2 guard was difficult. He was seen as slow and did not play well.

Today we would have buried these moves on the internet!!!!!!!

So what happend? Cazzie came off the bench and Bradley took over the 3. Reed moved to the Center spot and filled out a bit. Debussure was deadly from the outside and could rebound and play defense like a demon.
That kid from Southern Illinois turned out better then expected and he started. Bradley never really lived up to his star billing from college.

Considered the top high school player in the country, Bradley initially chose to attend Duke University in the fall of 1961.[14] However, after breaking his foot in the summer of 1961 during a baseball game and thinking about his college decision outside of basketball, Bradley decided to enroll at Princeton due to its record in preparing students for government or United States Foreign Service work.[15][7] He had been awarded a scholarship at Duke, but not at Princeton; the Ivy League does not allow its members to award athletic scholarships,[14][15] and Bradley's family's wealth disqualified him from receiving financial aid.[3]:13

As a senior and team captain[23] in the 1964–1965 season, Bradley became a household name.[19] Only the third tallest on his team,[3] but called "easily the No. 1 player in college basketball today",[7] "the best amateur basketball player in the United States", and "The White Oscar Robertson",[3] he scored 41 points in an 80–78 loss to Michigan[19] and their star player Cazzie Russell in the 1964 ECAC Holiday Basketball Final at Madison Square Garden, then led Princeton to the NCAA Final Four[24] after defeating heavy favorite Providence and Jimmy Walker by 40 points.[19] The team then lost to Michigan in the semifinals, but Bradley scored a record 58 points in the consolation game to lead the team to victory against Wichita State and earn himself the Final Four MVP.[25] In total, Bradley scored 2,503 points at Princeton, averaging 30.2 points per game. He was awarded the 1965 James E. Sullivan Award, presented annually to the United States' top amateur athlete, the first basketball player to win the honor,[26] and the second Princeton student to win the award, after runner Bill Bonthron in 1934.[26]
In Bradley's rookie season, he joined the team late, having also missed the entire preseason. He was placed in the back court, although he had spent his high school and college careers as a forward. Both he and the team did not do well, and in the following season, he was returned to the forward slot.[34][35] Then, in his third season, the Knicks won their first-ever NBA championship, followed by the second in the 1972–73 season, when he made the only All-Star Game appearance of his career.[36] Over 742 NBA games – all with the Knicks – Bradley scored a total of 9,217 points, an average of 12.4 points per game, with his best season average being 16.1 points per game in the 1972–73 season. Bradley also averaged 3.4 assists per game.[36]

Today we'd have labeled him a bust and went crazy to get him traded! He also missed two seasons after being drafted! Thats right, TWO YEARS!!!!

in time it came together. So born from the dissapointments that big college names of Cazzie and Bradley, and a big trade was how Eddie Donovan built the knicks for Red. Red preached Defense and "hit the open man". Players sacrificed for the team. There was no free agents back then but a trade could be asked. Clyde developed and could have been a 27 pt guy every nite.

Somtimes less is more and sometimes you have to let the players gel. Lessons from the past.
BTW, Phil Jax was the leading scorer in the NCAA and after back surgery in 1970 he had to reinvent his game. He also was drafted in 1968 with clyde and lived thru this.
11 rings don't come without patience and understanding chemistry. Starphuchs rarely convert to championships. Even the Pierce-Garnett-Allen Starphuch needed the drafted Rondo to complete that team!
two months into this rebuild is really the early stage and we are seeing the demolition stage.
Not everything is deliberate but its part of the process. Have a system and see who thrives or dives.
Teams don't just discard those who can't sustain. Melo's game can be moderated to fit. Not in two months. Maybe not this season. PHil knows this before we do, and he'll know it after. Same for all GM's who have ever succeeded.

Winners have a way. It may be stubborn to some but its a core belief and I doubt he'll waiver from it. Its why he has a long term deal, its why he hired his guy and don't give two shyts or a phuch about the short term.

BTW, Red's system did not work on the post glory teams. In fact he failed miserably in his last years. We did not have the talent or chemistry. We don't right now, but this team has 9 expirings and JR Dumass.

Talent and Chemistry. I doubt he is staying up at nite trying to figure out if Lance Stephanson is available to him!

Beautiful basketball is what we saw and what KnicksBigCats is talking about. Closest thing we have seen is the Spurs. Talent wise on paper it does not equate but the chemistry is apparent. I want phil to get his team down and when guys like Boris Diaw become available and is great for the sysetem (not saying him in particular), the team can make a great run. First we have to tear it down, then build it, then fill in the pieces.

Knicks have a long road ahead and bumps will be part of the process. This is gonna take a while. Great things usually need time.