Finestrg wrote:H1AND1 wrote:If Ledo was McGrady-like he wouldnt have been cut and teams would be clamoring for him. The bottom line is I have no problems witn bringing in these types of guys for a look hoping to hit a Whiteside like jackpot but at the same time the Ricky Ledo who was cut and is currently team less isn't the YouTube Ricky Ledo. Very few future stars or even starter level NBA players are toiling away in obscurity.
Well you named one -- Hassan Whiteside. Jeremy Lin was another, a guy we discovered. Oh yeah, and we SUCK; we're perhaps the worst team I've ever seen, so bad I can't even understand how Phil Jackson's upset with the effort. The product he's got on the floor is high school quality--it's cringe-worthy, what does he expect? I guess he's gotta say stuff like that...Bottom line is we're a team that has no right now, and no tomorrow as of yet. Hopefully a top pick and $30+mm in cap space gives us a tomorrow but who knows--there are a ton of question marks at the top of this draft and a handful of potential FAs I was interested in just got traded and probably re-up with the team they got traded to...And Melo's older and hurt--he's the guy we broke the bank for and decided to build around. There's the reality. The flip side is to remain positive and try to improve any way possibly, no matter how bad it looks. Right now, our only avenue is to look at a few of these younger DL-types with upside/young guys in China with upside etc.. If we could uncover a rotation player or two on the cheap, great--that can only help us moving forward. It could help us fast-track the process. It's good business and the way to go right now imo. Better than sitting on our hands, content to watch Lou Amundson, Bargnani and Calderon, right? Phil hasn't explored this option to the fullest if you ask me.
Sure, I agree 1000%. Go out and scout and try to unearth diamonds. I have no issue with that. How could anyone?
Admittedly, what I find slightly perplexing is this knee jerk "ZOMG how did we not go and sign _insert recently cut unproven young guy who was hyped on draft night and has shown absolutely nothing since besides a scintillating youtube highlight reel of the 2 minutes and 30 seconds of good play he's managed to put together out of many hundreds of NBA minutes or he's so and so looking like superman in the chinese league_". And then, why we always assume everyone who gets cut and is a FA is clamoring to come play for the Knicks?
So for me it's hard to criticize the Knicks in this respect (and lord knows there is enough ammo to criticize this team and FO about in other areas). Bottom line for me is: The large majority of the Ledos and Thomas Robinsons of the world are never going to pan out. Not every player "just needs a chance and/or minutes". There are a lot of players who have the tools of a superstar who never pull it together and become NBA caliber rotation players or even end of the bench rotation players. They just don't have what it takes or they would've LIKELY shown it by now. The Knicks FO (agree with their strategy or not, criticize how they got to this point or not--whatever) is now looking to get as much FA money as possible this offseason. In that light, they are surely weighing what a cap hold for a guy like Robinson is going to cost them in the offseason vs the likelihood that the player proves themselves indispensable. Looks like they made that decision vis a vis Galloway. Perhaps they truly dont see anyone else who they like _more_ than what they'll cost the team this summer in FA money? And if they sign a d-leaguer or FA who plays well and then simply lets them walk anyway what was the point? The odds are the odds and they simply arent against the Knicks cause it's more than likely most of the guys who'd get a look wouldn't play well enough to stick past the end of the year when Phil et al are planning a FA bonanza this summer!
Again: I am not endorsing the Knicks FO moves Im just trying to think why they havent been more active bringing in prospect after prospect.
Further isn't is bizarre other teams in need of help are also ignoring guys like Seth Curry, etc. It likely isn't coincidence. Why do they languish in the d-league year after year if they are just minutes away from breaking out? The cream rises to the top usually. The guys who are NBA caliber pretty quickly progress to and are playing minutes in the NBA, for the most part. Guys like Whiteside and Lin are outliers. Huge outliers. When teams unearth these guys its actually more like dumb luck because the odds are so low that you'll find one.
2/24/2015 9:26 AM